A bear broke into a pen where two donkeys live and chased them nearly half a mile down a Hollis street on Sunday.

Several neighbors spotted the wild scene and called police.

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It was a typical day for the Lavoie family until they got a call from the police that their donkeys were on the loose with a bear not far behind.

Rosa, a 14-year-old donkey, and her baby, Jester, were in their backyard pen when they had a run-in with a bear. Family members said they thought the bear initially broke into the pen for food.

“He went into the barn and flipped the grain over so he clearly had interest in the grain more than the donkeys,” said Tom Lavoie.

At some point, Rosa’s maternal instincts likely kicked in and the donkeys took off.

“They were quite a ways down the road and he was still behind them,” Lavoie said.

The donkeys were wrangled in with some carrots and the bear left. It wasn’t the first time the bear has been spotted in the Lavoie’s backyard. The bear occasionally ventures out of the woods, looking for food.

“Every time you see it, you are surprised,” Lavoie said. “There was evidence from tearing down bird feeders. I’ve actually, physically walked into it one time. I’ve seen it early in the morning.”

This is the first time the bear bothered the donkeys. Jester escaped the ordeal unharmed, but Rosa was a little skittish and had some small scratches.

“It looked a little like she had a rough day,” Lavoie said.

Family members said they are still trying to wrap their heads around the interaction.

“It’s really weird, but I guess this is Hollis,” Lavoie said.

The family hasn’t seen the bear since last weekend, but is keeping the donkeys inside the shed at night and keeping their food in an air-tight container.

The U.S. Forest Service said black bear encounters are up in New Hampshire, particularly in White Mountain National Forest. Several incidents have been reported at Sugarloaf, Hancock, Campton and Tripoli campgrounds.